Gaza Peace Talks Enter Second Day, as Israel Marks Two-Year Anniversary of Oct. 7 Terror Attacks

Israeli and Hamas officials entered a second day of indirect negotiations in Egypt on Oct. 7 over a U.S.-drafted peace plan. The talks continued as the region marked the second anniversary of the 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led terrorists killed about 1,200 people and seized 251 hostages in southern Israel.

The talks, held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh, began on Oct. 6 with delegations from Egypt, the United States, and Qatar acting as intermediaries.

Israel and several Arab states have backed the 20-point plan put forward last week by President Donald Trump.

Hamas has signaled readiness to reach an agreement but said that it needs guarantees that Israel will end the war permanently.

Senior Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said on Oct. 7 that the group’s delegation is working to ensure the deal includes guarantees for a permanent end to the war and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire, a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, large-scale reconstruction, and the release of all hostages—both living and deceased—within 72 hours of Israel’s agreement.

In return, Israel would free 250 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained after the October 2023 attack. The plan also sets conditions for “deradicalizing” Gaza and establishing what U.S. officials describe as a terror-free zone.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 67,000 people have died in Gaza since the conflict began two years ago. The figure does not distinguish between fighters and civilians and includes some deaths from natural causes. The Epoch Times cannot verify these figures.

Speaking to the press on Oct. 6, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Hamas’s acceptance of the U.S. framework on Oct. 3 cleared the way for the technical discussions now underway.

“We want to move very quickly on this, and the president wants to see the hostages released as soon as possible,” she said.

Asked how long the talks would last, Leavitt said that Washington does not want the process to stall.

“We want to build momentum, get the hostages out, and then move to the next part of this—ensuring we can create a lasting and durable peace in Gaza, and making sure Gaza is no longer a threat to the security of Israel or the United States,” she told reporters.

Leavitt said the administration’s priorities for the post-war phase would be “security guarantees” and “good governance.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney thanked the United States and Egypt on Oct. 6 for facilitating “critical negotiations between Israel and Hamas.” In a statement on X, Carney urged Hamas to commit to disarmament and hostage releases.

Ahead of the talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Israel’s Hostages and Missing Persons team to prepare for the negotiations. The PM’s office said he also spoke on the phone with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with both leaders agreeing that pressure on Hamas must continue until all hostages are freed.

“We will continue to act decisively until all the aims of the war are achieved, including the return of all the hostages and ensuring Israel’s security,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

World Leaders Mark Oct. 7 With Calls for Peace

On the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, world leaders called for the release of the hostages, an end to hostilities, and renewed efforts to secure peace, while also reflecting on the scale of the violence and its aftermath.

Merz said in a post on X that “the time for peace has come,” urging Hamas to lay down its arms. He also condemned antisemitism in Germany on the anniversary of the assault, calling it “shameful.”

In a post on X, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the 2023 attacks as “the worst on the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” and vowed to maintain pressure for the release of hostages, which include British citizens.

He also pointed to rising antisemitism in the UK, which saw a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester last week that left two dead.

French President Emmanuel Macron said France was working “tirelessly” for the release of the hostages and called for a ceasefire “without delay.” His statement on X added: “Let us unite all our strength to fight antisemitism everywhere and to build peace.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres marked the anniversary by urging both sides to “put an end to the hostilities in Gaza, Israel & the region now.”

In a post on X, he described the conflict as a “humanitarian catastrophe on a scale that defies comprehension” and endorsed the U.S. initiative as an opportunity that must be seized.

Reuters contributed to this story.